October 9, 2017 - 1:33pm
Mailing bread?
I want to mail some bread to a friend of mine, but the shipping process will likely take a few days. What would be the best way to prep the bread for shipment, and/or what can they do when it gets there to make the bread better?
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I'd use a food saver to vacuum pack it after it is completely cooled. I can be crisped up in the oven once they get it.
I suggest a recipe with Levain and some rye in it, both of which enhance the keeping qualities. Enriched doughs, like challah, zopf, or brioche keep a little longer as well.
I know of folks who hiked the Appalachian Trail and had family mail them 100% rye loaves every few weeks. My dad, who grew up in rural Eastern Europe, said his mother would bake every two weeks, making five huge 100% rye levain loaves and storing them in the cold cellar. And then there's the Scandinavian breads, meant to last through the winter...
I mail my bread frozen; I know it thaws out in transit but I’ve deluded myself into thinking it stays fresher that way. My kids end up making toast and grilled cheese with the bread, so that likely compensates for any staling as well.
As to the food saver vacuum pack: never tried it. Hans, have you done this? I’d worry that the vacuum packing would squeeze the air out of the loaf, resulting in...well, flatbread, I guess. Is this the case?
Just about every time I make a loaf I cut it in half, vacuum pack and freeze one half. With my older food saver I had to be very careful and use the manual seal button to avoid making flatbread. Timing was everything. My new FoodSaver has a Pulse Vac button that you can tap to get the perfect amount of air out. You could vacuum Wonder bread without crushing it.
loaf with vacuum food saver is just to freeze the bead for two three hours in a plain plastic bag, then remove from bag and do as normal with the food saver.
For shipping bread I would be tempted to bake the bread where the interior is cooked but the crust doesn't have the colour yet, maybe in a oven set to a lower than normal temperature. Then freeze and tell the recipient to put in oven for 10 15 minutes.
Gerhard